19th Century Remains Remind LA of Its History

It took 15 years to resolve the conflict over remains of a thousand Native Americans discovered during construction of the massive Playa Vista development on LA's Westside. They were stored in cardboard boxes in a trailer parked on the site, until 2007, when they were removed, covered with white seashells and buried again during a sacred ceremony. Two and a half weeks ago, the remains of a hundred people stopped construction of a Mexican-American cultural center in downtown Los Angeles. The downtown site isn't the only ancient cemetery that's aroused local passions and possible legal action. The City of LA has designated as "extremely historic" land in Santa Monica Canyon surrounding the Marquez Family Cemetery, which holds the remains dating back to the early 1900's.